#like I saw a drawing of one of the characters of...I think it was she-ra? idk I never watched the show

[tj-crochets]

Hey internet etiquette question for y'all

If I want to make a plushie inspired by art I've seen, and it is not for commercial use, I'm not selling it or sharing the pattern, should I still contact the artist first? Or just tag them in the post with the finished plushie and link back to the specific art I based it on? (or reblog their post with the photo of the plushie?) If you were the artist, which would you prefer? Or would you prefer something else? edited to add: I did used to always message the artist first but then sometimes by the time they responded I'd have moved on to the next thing and then I'd feel bad for not making their plushie? It's completely understandable for them to not reply to messages immediately, I also don't always respond quickly, I just felt guilty for not making their plushies after I'd asked about it and it stopped me sewing plushies based on art entirely for a while

[burningcheese-merchant]

Wake up, BurningCheese/GoldenSpice babes, new poorly drawn blorbos just dropped

They look cooler in my head, I swear.

the images didn't show up the first time wtf lol

The kids are finally here, yay. I promised I'd show you them, and I finally stopped being an asshole and followed through. Almost got 200 followers and I'm very grateful for it - really, I'm nobody. I'm just some clown who says dumb stuff and makes dumb memes and writes cringey stories, and yet I convinced almost 200 people to tune in. Thank you all so much, users on here and anons in my inbox alike. As a token of appreciation, you can all endure my rambling about my OCs and witness a person in their early 20s draw like a 12 year old.

The boy is Pepper Jack (or Pepper Jack Cookie). He's the firstborn and older than his sister by a few years. He takes after his mother in a lot of ways, primarily in her appearance (save for nabbing his father's red eyes). He's incredibly bright (and a smartass lol), preferring to think his way out of conflict rather than fight his way out... not that he's above violence at all, if that glaive doesn't give it away lol. He harbors a deep sense of love and loyalty towards his family and his peoples, and carries the weight of his responsibilities and heritage with as much confidence and poise as he can muster. (There are/will be times where he stumbles, of course. He's not perfect. He struggles a lot more than he lets on, really. But he tries his best, for everyone's sake.)

The girl is Matar Paneer (or Matar Paneer Cookie). Again, she's the younger one by a few years. She was all but made in her father's image, save for inheriting her mother's eyes. She's a little firecracker: lively and fun-loving and stubborn as a mule. She doesn't ask "can I have/do this thing", she tells you "I'm going to have/do this thing". Golden is proud as anything to see her daughter be so greedy... until that greed comes into conflict with her and Spice's authority lol. But she's a good kid, despite being such a handful. She has an enormous heart and is not afraid to stand up for others/what's right, and she loves her parents and brother more than anything in the world. She might doubt her own capabilities, she might secretly fear that she's not strong enough to do what she needs to... but she keeps pushing anyway, because she'd honestly choose death over quitting.

Your eyes are not deceiving you, Pepper Jack's wings are blue lol. There's an actual reason for that. And that USO (Unidentified Sitting Object) in Matar Paneer's hair is a lotus (the cheese one in the GCK decor set lol). There's a reason for that, too. I thought it would be cool to give Jack a glaive and swap out the normal blade for that of a khopesh sword (glaives are not Egyptian, they only saw use in Asia and Europe, but I just HAD to give him a glaive), to add that Egyptian touch. Paneer's supposed to be wearing a pattu pavadai, it's a traditional Indian dress for young girls. It's a blouse plus a skirt. She's holding katar, Indian knives (Cilantro Cobra has them, too). And her hair's supposed to be in a low ponytail.

Merchant thinks that if they explain what their terrible drawings are supposed to convey, people will understand their intended vision and the pain will stop

I sat down and did research into both Egyptian and Hindu mythology for the sake of drawing inspiration for them both. I'll explain in detail in another post, but basically: both of them take after one Egyptian god and one Hindu god each. Golden takes after Ra and Spice takes after Shiva, so I figured I'd follow along that line.

Please flood my inbox with questions about them now. I've really been dying to talk about them for ages now. I've drafted extensive character sheets for them both, I even made up in-game descriptions for them lol. They're my little fankid blorbos and I love them :') I hope you all come to love them, too

(Also, I'm sorry they're on lined paper. I'm visiting family rn and that's the only paper my grandmother has in her house. I'd have to drive to a stationery to get printer paper and I'd really rather not drive in this particular country lol (shit roads, even shittier drivers). I'll doodle them on printer paper whenever somebody remembers to bring me some)

[the-sinful-voice-witch]

Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne

Damian's drawing of people who loves him personally offended me when i saw the lack of Talia (but fucking Ra was there! So ridiculously absurd), Duke, Jason and more importantly in my opinion the lack of STEPHANIE BROWN! Barbara and Rose Wilson never had the bond he had with Stephanie not even Cassandra and im specially Salty about Maya because all the fuss about the "adoptive sister" That showed up right in the messed up new 52 as if Stephanie wasn't literally the fucking first big sister figure he had, this is so insulting giving the fact that STEPHANIE WAS HIS BATGIRL:

The Batman's no-daughter and Damian first big sister, Steph is a Bat member that is placed along Batman's children but she was never adopted and we could say she is kinda in the same position as Barbara, they can only become official daughters if they become daughters in law.

I firmly believe that Damian can't be placed along all the people that personally wronged Stephanie because... Damian has been an arrogant jerk with absolutely every hero he has met, he looked down on his own father at first, the fucking Batman! So he literally didn't discriminate Stephanie, because even if he tried to insult her saying he was disappointed to see she wasn't Cassandra, when he actually met Cassandra he tried to undermine her as well so to me that comparation doesn't have the same weight as when she was constantly compared to other heroes by other certain characters.

The little time they had together in the Batgirl run was way too precious, the teasing and the banter and how they worked together was so good! Stephanie was so good to him! She got him to be able to behave like a kid because she noticed he didn't even know how to play, she got him to play with him in a bouncing castle, she wanted him to smile, they worked together to save Dicks Batman and i always laugh when Damian teases her about "not having a big chest", Damian dear you were so fixated on that for no reason... Maybe Steph was also his first platonic crush... I think the second was Supergirl 😂😂.

(I miss them when they were like this... I miss them everyday 😭😭😭😭)

DCeased wasn't exactly one of my favorite comics regarding plot but it has a special place in my heart for being currently the only alternative universe that represented this sibling relationship as it was always meant to be until the disappointing death that was supposed to be solved by Talia and never happened as if they forgot.

That universe gave us a beautiful present and that was the very first time someone (wonder girl Cassie) officially acknowledged Stephanie as Damians big sister and not to mention the hug! 🥺🥺🥺 he actually let himself being comforted in her arms and hugged her back, when he saw her he even called her "Steph" Not "Brown" Or "Spoiler/Batgirl" and oh my god she became his Robin 🥲 and to me she is just the perfect Robin to his Batman after all... She was also the Batgirl to his Robin.

Another thing i want to point out, when Alfred was murdered Dick still didn't have all his memories, Jason was just too angry and Tim didn't do much, Barbara isn't that close to Damian so I think they totally should have used Stephanie here, Damian really could have used a big sister... Again wasting her character but I guess they wanted to use only the closest people to Alfred and sadly it looks like Steph isn't one... But she is an important person to Damian no matter how much DC wants to erase her, she will never dissapear! I can't believe Barbara and Rose Wilson and that pop out of nowhere post new 52 Maya are in that drawing of people who makes Damian feel loved BUT NOT STEPHANIE!! Even the horrible RA is there?! But not his mother or HIS FIRST AND IN MY OPINION BEST BIG SISTER FIGURE STEPHANIE!!! DC YOU HAVE A LOT TO ATONE FOR 😤😤😤😠😠😠😠

Fortunately the author of the webtoon family Wayne adventures has a better understanding of this and gave us the precious moments they deserve:

In my head this is Stephanie with her 3 best boys, the ex, the little platonic brother that might had or might not had a platonic crush on her and who i think is her very soulmate ❤💜

[lochtayboatsong]

Some thoughts on The Mummy (1999)

Taking a break from reading every single Rick/Evie fic (and also a goodly number of the Ardeth/Rick/Evie fics) on Ao3 to jot down some musings, in no particular order.

- I subscribe to @tinydooms ‘s chronology of events, in which the battle at Hamunaptra between Rick’s FFL regiment and the Tuaregs takes place in 1919 and the main action of the first film takes place in 1922. This jives much better with what we know/can infer about Rick and Jonathan’s backgrounds, as well as the fact that Rick and Evie have an 8-year-old son in 1933.

- Like many other Millennials, this film was my bisexual awakening; although I was not able to articulate that fact until many years later. I have not yet been able to articulate WHY, though. There’s the obvious fact that 99% of the cast is too beautiful for words, but it goes deeper than that. Watch this space for more musings on that subject.

- Rick and Evie sparked my undying love for the Battle Couple trope. They fit that trope in a more conventional way in The Mummy Returns, but it’s there in The Mummy as well: Evie pulling Rick out of the way on the boat so his head doesn’t get blown off; Rick keeping Imhotep busy so Evie has time to find the incantation in the Book of Amun-Ra that will kill him for good; Evie subtly communicating to Rick that “there are other places to dig” during the stand-off with the Americans; Rick softly and carefully tending to Evie after the skirmish with the Medjai, etc.

- Rick and Evie also both fit and subvert the “she’s the brains, he’s the brawn” trope. Of the two of them, Rick is clearly the muscle. He’s six-foot-two, built like a brick shithouse, clearly knows a lot about guns (not only how to use them but how to care for them too - see the scene on the boat where he’s cleaning and loading his guns while talking to Evie) and is a skilled brawler. But he is NOT unintelligent. He speaks French, and I would bet money that he speaks Arabic as well. He knows how to navigate through the desert and is able to get them to Hamunaptra from memory alone. And of all the white characters, he has the most intelligent things to say about the Medjai. Similarly, Evie is the one with the book smarts. She’s a trained librarian, can read and translate Ancient Egyptian on the fly, and is almost never out of ideas about what to do next in any given situation. But she is NOT just a nerdy damsel in distress. She’s able to defend herself from the Medjai on the boat and the possessed citizens of Cairo with what is available to her (a lit candle, a poke in the eye). And she’s able to learn gunfighting and hand-to-hand combat from Rick in the years between The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, and is quite competent at both by the events of TMR.

- Speaking of competent, BOY do these movies scratch the itch that is my competency kink.

- I think the entire Mummy fandom agrees that Jonathan is a PTSD-riddled WWI vet. It accounts for him being so skittish and highly-strung, while also being an excellent shot with a rifle (as well as a pistol, so long as he has a bottle of 12-year-old Scotch in the other hand). Someone in That One Tumblr Thread also pointed out that he clearly has training as a boxer: whenever A Situation arises and he doesn’t have a gun handy, his fists go up instead.

- Ardeth BAE. My favorite scene of his is the one early in TMR when he shows up at Rick and Evie’s house when Lock-Nah and his gang are there to cause trouble, and all the cultists IMMEDIATELY tense up and draw their swords as soon as he walks into the room.

- Much has been said about the mix of genres in these movies, but I recently saw a YouTube video that articulates why it all works: the first third of the movie is a historical epic/adventure film, the middle third is a horror film, and the final third is an action film.

[glindaupland]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 잶팬텀 x 송크리 Review 6/6

October 14, 2023 - Evening

The Phantom of the Opera | 최재림 Choi Jae-rim

Christine Daaé | 송은혜 Song Eun-hye

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 송원근 Song Won-geun

Carlotta Giudicelli | 한보라 Han Bo-ra

Ah, the perfect Phantom to finish my journey and relieve me from my tears after the painful two show Kim Ju-taek/Jo Seung-woo slam the day before! Yes, please erase the poor meow meow thoughts from my mind!

My 6th and final round of POTO and 1st round of 'Choi Jae-rim is a Traumatized French Man Double Marathon'. His only scheduled POTO show during my stay was the day before Les Mis opening night in Busan. So I did not have a spare day like I thought would and I had to hop cities the next morning to see him as Valjean. I originally had a seat up high, but I just had to move myself close on the floor again for my grand finale. Seeing a seat open up during cancellations near my favorite side of the stage, the side with the most action, pretty much sealed the deal. I've always wanted to see a ~scary~ Phantom so let's go out with a bang!

If you're looking for some Erik x Christine, wrong Phantom for you! There wasn't much sugar-coating here. CJR Phantom is the opposite of JSW and JDS Phantoms to me; he's the most like a dark fallen angel. He's dangerous, unnerving, and has a lot more confidence with his actions than the others.

Hannibal Rehearsal / Think of Me

The audience seemed especially hyped today lol. Park Hoe-rim always holds Piangi’s note in Hannibal for a very long time and people applaud him for it. The cheers were loud today though even though audiences usually didn’t make much noise to avoid being disruptive! At the end of Song Eun-hye’s ‘Think of Me’ there was also a very excited reaction from the audience. Love this cast showing off where they can heh

First Lair | MOTN/STYDI

He's the only Phantom to sing "넌 이곳에 오직 나만을 위하여 / You are here for me alone" as "넌 이곳에 오직 한가지 이유로 / You are here for only one reason" at the organ because he's just different and not like other girls okay During MOTN, he was was confidently luring and hypnotizing her with no hesitation or uncertainty. The way he moved his entire body, especially his arms and hands (huge hands goddamn dude), was very flashy and dramatic. He's "overdoing it", but in a way that's very fitting for his Phantom's eccentric personality. I think you can already tell something is off about his Phantom as a person here. You can hear it in his voice a bit too. It had a sort of unearthly mesmerizing quality to it. This is the closest to a mysterious dark angel out of the Phantoms. He's especially possessive, but it's more in the way you might expect and different from KJT Phantom. The way he draws her to him with his hands, the way he touches his lips when he comes around the organ towards her 👀 He even tugged her along a bit when he led her to the bride in the mirror and urged her to look at the gift. With SEH Christine it was interesting to see her slowly unwind throughout the song since she's the more hesitant of the two. A Christine like SJS is definitely easier "prey" for him

Here's a little taste of his Music of the Night. Some of his more dramatic movements are actually a little bit similar to how he moved as the Phantom in this song, but he has a specific strange aura when actually in character.

I Remember / Stranger Than You Dream It

...SEH Christine is a little too curious and innocent maybe. Because wow if I saw a big weird masked man looking like that while working I simply? Would not want to mess with him at all, not getting anywhere near him. While the music box played, he was breathing (almost grunting) very audibly and heavily in frustration. He was very tense and focused. She was very playful and even mischievous-looking as she tried to swipe at his mask. It was like a game to her. Right at the moment he seemed to find his flow, playing the music in the air with his eyes closed, she succeeded. He's the scariest one during the outburst! His voice sounded venomous at the start and his eyes were wild as he covered the side of his face with both hands. The way he tilted his head watching her was very off-putting. Actually rather than becoming sadder, he almost seemed even creepier as he got closer. My seat was very close on that end of the stage and as I saw him approaching I wanted to back away myself! But at the end, I did start to feel sorry for him. It was really pitiful seeing this magnificent and seemingly magical genius be reduced to...this. The other Phantoms appear more human here, but he truly did look like some dark being trying desperately to be like a regular human, trying to be a part of this world. The angel of music is not, in fact, an angel, but....well who knows what he is. When she returned the mask, he looked like he couldn't make sense of what was happening. I could see his eyes glistening a little like tears were threatening to fall. I think he felt especially uncomfortable looking so weak in front of her. His Phantom felt like he had everything completely under control, but he managed to be disarmed so suddenly. His face was now revealed as well as the hidden dark part of himself

AIAOY Reprise

Kinda upset that my angle made it difficult to see him because the angel wing was obstructing him the times he wasn't leaning forward enough. But also how does he even fit on there. And also how did he manage to be the one who moved the least? He must be folded like an origami piece up there. Anyway oh boy. When saying Christine's name the first time, he sounded broken and small while looking down. But the second time he slowly lifted his head giving a cold dark stare ahead and spoke in a low and threatening voice that faded off. He had this rage building up and spreading through him and began his final lines in a harsh growling voice. He's extra intimidating because he kind of just fully gets up making himself as big as possible. I was laughing during intermission when I was heading to the lobby and two girls ran by me in the aisle going "EEEEE 무서워요!! / I'm scared!" So true, girlies, so true

Why So Silent?

JDS/KJT Phantoms lift up Christine's chin when they finally address her, but he pulled her a little roughly towards him. Not a big thing but definitely got a yikes from me when I saw it!

Wandering Child

Oh he is so weird and freaky somebody's gotta push him off that mausoleum I don't like it (no I love it as an acting choice though I just mean it's uncomfortable) 😭 The way he moves his entire body so much is so creepy? How do I even describe those movements. He would crouch or lean forward in a lunging position, but also made these big gestures with his arms again and looked like he was trying to use some power to pull Christine towards him He used an odd sarcastic tone mocking Raoul like he barely even viewed him as a threat.

The Point of No Return

The trap is set and waits for its prey! ...But also, Christine, Piangi just grew like 10 feet taller turning into a brick wall of a man and you don't find this.... suspicious maybe? No? Okay... He opens that curtain and it's like:

ANYWAY He had such an eerie way of singing to me. There was this hypnotic energy again like in MOTN. Once again the hands...when he tips her head side to side with his fingers under her chin in his last lines of his verse it's like he's putting her in a trance. She actually looked a bit disoriented for a moment, but her expression was slowly changing like she was suspecting something was wrong even before she turned to him. He was scarily calm looking throughout the song. You mostly just saw his shoulders moving from his slow steady breathing. Occasionally he would slowly take a look at her to see what she was doing, but it was more like he was preparing himself than getting stressed. She touched him and he only flinched very slightly before reaching up to her completely ready to join their hands. He was practically pulling her down actually to touch her more. I think he was sure that he was succeeding. When she had discovered him, he closed in like a beast about to pounce with his hands in position to grab her in case she tried to flee. But when she threw the hood off he was taken off guard During the AIAOY Reprise "언제나, 어디든, 영원히 / Always, anywhere, forever" -> "Anywhere you go let me go too" was a painful cry as well as the word "어둠에 / (into) darkness" in "또 다시 지옥 같은 어둠에 / Once again into darkness like hell" later for Down Once More and he delivered his next lines in a terrifying voice. It was similar to the AIAOY Reprise on the angel. I have to admit it partially concerned me (just because here and Les Mis he had a few slight rough moments, he cracked a tiny bit at the very end of 'Who Am I' after an otherwise very solid note). Overall though I think he has amazing ability and it's just wear from the rough schedule he has unfortunately. The choices did work either way!

Final Lair

He is so unhinged and unstable. Now he had this rough vicious villainous tone and sometimes he used that mocking voice again like he did in 'Bravo Monsieur'. He practically hissed out the line about the world never accepting him. His gestures with his arms were so theatrical and huge and the way he moved about was so heavy, jerky, and unsettling. When he threw the noose on Raoul he had the most terrifying laugh and jumped a little spitting out his taunts loudly He stood up fast and leaned in close to her face to whisper “날 시험하지말고 / Don't test me” so very quietly before he screamed for her to choose. He said it with spite in his voice, but he was actually holding back tears when he turned around. He had been so dangerous before, but Christine managed to disarm him once again with her words. Christine dropped lower from her position on her knees with a sob. It wasn't out of fear, seeing him like this just seemed to hurt her. This kiss was an interesting one to analyze. Some people thought this part tends to make him seem unmoved? But I disagree with the conclusion some people had made around that time that his Phantom didn't change or develop. He wasn't very openly reactive to the first one, he was completely frozen. The second time he clenched and unclenched his fists until he pulled her hand away quickly and rushed off staggering and holding his head. I saw reviews saying he would simply repeat his actions over again based on his reactions. I personally just think his change is different. I think CJR Phantom thinks he knows everything and that he can control everything that will happen so it scares him when he faces something unexpected. I think this is why he started to finally unravel at the very end. He cannot predict anything Christine will do, she always does the opposite of what he would think. Love and compassion were the last things he would ever expect. I don't even think he knew what kindness looks like. But he finally understood in that moment and he also understood that he couldn't force her to be there with him now. Something I noted during this performance in particular: HGH Raoul tried to urge Christine that they need to leave, but SWG would seem a bit confused in the moment and look at the Phantom like he was trying to understand what just happened. It just especially stood out to me across from CJR Phantom because of how much of a threat he had been. He was trying to process this because of the way the Phantom was just moments before and almost looked like he maybe even pitied him in a weird way. Christine came back pretty early this time to return the ring and watched the Phantom while covering her mouth in disbelief. It was as if this was the one moment he finally showed his real human side to her. She could really see him as a regular man now. When he realized she was there, he was really startled and practically jumped away like he was bracing himself for something (perhaps thinking the mob had arrived for him?). He went over to her wondering why she had returned, but once he realized he softly sang that he loved her. She nodded knowingly trying to hold back her tears. He looked so small suddenly when she left him alone there

Please when I tell you Jae-rim got the loudest screams out of every curtain call I experienced lol. He was goofing off, but at one point the shrieking was so loud he looked a little embarrassed about it heh. Even louder than that though was his Les Mis curtain call where everyone just about lost their goddamn minds seeing him pick up and spin little Cosette (I was one of those people, I'm weak)

Anyway it's promo time! Here's some bonus videos for you to enjoy

POTO Medley in English from 2013 (Wandering Child -> MOTN -> Think of Me -> All I Ask of You -> - he could easily be in English POTO honestly since he speaks English very well. He sings the actual show pretty differently and his vocals have improved, but it's still very nice and interesting to listen to after all this time.

Ah next one is cursed I know I know...but he almost convinced me this show can be good like a very talented scammer. Please stick to only covers of this though... He's sung the English version before a few times, but here's the Korean one:

And some non-POTO promo to show off his range because he's kind of crazy

And that's it for all my Phantom reviews! 6 out of 6 shows yay! If you made it to this point thank you for reading and enduring. I hope my insanity brought you some kind of joy and entertainment. I just wanted to share everything I could so other people could have a taste in some way and so I could relive and document my memories. It was truly a dream experience for a longtime POTO fan to be able to see the show done in so many ways over just a few days.

[chitsuu]

OC Kiss Week 2024: Dare

Doing this little challenge this week, with my FFXIV character and his husband (@kitshunette's son)!

Also, I'm not much of a writer, but I decided to write a little something for each drawing, little windows in their story (which is also why I'm using the @ockissweek prompt list but not in order)

That one was supposed to be posted on Valentine's day but it was!! so difficult to write!!!! So anyway, here it is now

Where is he?

Jisul’s eyes anxiously scanned the battlefield around him. The battle lasted for what seemed forever, but eventually came to a close. Not that it was quieter now than during the actual fighting. The dragons had made a lot of damages, and flames rose to the sky, ash mingling with the falling snow. People were calling out for healers left and right, and some, just like him, were calling for specific people - family, friends… Loved ones.

All in all, it was a mess of different sounds and noises, and the Au Ra was having trouble processing all the information his horns picked up. The fact that he was feeling even more distressed by the second did not help.

One thing was for sure: he could not find Eli. They had been separated during the battle, and Jisul had felt the healing magic he received take on a different color, which could only mean that Eli had been too far to reach him with his own magic.

Blinking, Jisul tried to take a deep breath, fighting against another kind of monster in his chest. His anxiety was starting to be uncontrollable. He had sworn to himself he would protect the Elezen, and instead he could not even see him now.

The noise was definitely becoming too much. Somewhere in the distance, he saw a Miqo’te tending to a Lalafell, both looking quite exhausted, but, fortunately, not in a bad shape. When they saw him in return, as if they could read his mind before he could even get the question out, they both shook their head. Eli’s big sister, the Lalafellin woman, opened her mouth while gesturing in another direction. Jisul guessed she might have said something, but was unable to hear anything. More exactly, all sounds had fused into one big white noise, and he could not make any sense of what he was hearing anymore. He bowed his head in a silent thanks, and started heading where she had pointed to. The white noise was fuzzing in his head, along with his distress in his chest.

This is not helping.

Pressing back tears that were uncomfortable starting to well in his eyes, he tried once more to scan over his surroundings. It was starting to look a lot like another scene in his mind, a scene from his memories, yet not his memories. He had not thought about the vision he had when he first met Eli in months, however it was resurfacing. The past grief and loss started to creep on him, and Jisul pushed it down fiercely. Eli was not lost. He just had to find him.

“ul”

Admist the white noise, his horns picked up a sound.

“-sul!”

It was getting clearer by the second, as carried by a fast wind.

“JISUL!”

Jisul turned back, only to catch in his arms the tall Elezen that was barreling to him. His eyes widened a little, and the tears escaped, full on display as they traced a path on his cheeks. Eli was in his arms, looking him over worriedly with glassy eyes.

Oh.

He’s crying.

He’s crying for me.

It was a wondrous feeling, somehow. His anxiety was washed over by a tsunami of love for the one in his arms, and then there was no time to think.

They were kissing. The kiss tasted of snow and salt.

It was bold, daring even, but Jisul decided he did not care. He would think about his actions later. He thought he heard the hearty laugh of a Roegadyn, and Stephanivien saying he needed to find his fireworks. But he did not care, because right this instant, what mattered was embracing him, and he could not waste more time trying to downplay his own feelings.

Jisul loved Eli, plain and simple.

And if anything, the way the the Elezen smiled at him after their kiss, Eli loved Jisul, plain and simple.

[ichooseviolence]

People saying that the targies hate Sa/ra Sn/ow because of the J0nsa implications....and that's just not correct lmao. It's not about J0nsa at all and comparing Sara/Jace to J0nsa makes no sense. As someone that saw the Sara hate start in real time on twitter, I can tell you it's because targies don't like the optics of their 'pure Valyrian beauty' being 'left' for another woman, especially one who isn't valyrian and is some northern bastard. Mind you, Jace and Ba/la have barely spoken two words to each other on the show and were basically put into an arranged betrothed when they were literal children. Targies acting like Ba/la was his wife and mother of his children that he abandoned sends me.

Also, it's hilariously hypocritical because these are the same people who ship and/or tangentially support the literal disease of a relationship that is Raggar and Lianna - where a man, ya know, actually left his wife/children for his mistress but anyway. I even saw one person who was foaming at the mouth over Sara talk shit about Elia when people said this is basically a R/L easter egg sooooooo yeah lol. I don't know if producers will go through with including Sara but I will be one hundred percent shipping just because of how mad targ stans will be over it.

Also, Ba/la gets cheated on multiple times by the man she actually marries so they can go worry about that instead lol.

Exactly!! And I'd like to start out by saying, thank God I've been spared from seeing posts comparing B@ela to Elia 🙄 Because I would say some regrettable things. B@ela is a badass whose fate doesn't need to be compared to Elia's. Anyway, I've seen maybe a couple Jonsas draw a possible connection to Sara/Jace, but they certainly don't treat it as Canon. I'm not 100% the showrunners will include Sara Snow, but if they do they will obviously have good reasons behind it. They're not going to include a "random" character with no purpose behind it. If Sara Snow was real, then that's a huge deal and it suggests that more went on in the North than we realized. It would strengthen friendship between Jace and Cregan. Maybe they'll tie the prophecy into it, idk. I hate how the HBO showrunners treat the prophecy but what're you gonna do, right? I don't think the prophecy is as simple as a Targaryen and a Stark hooking up and pumping out a kid, but if that's how the showrunners interpret it, then we're probably going to see it again. Or something similar. We think it's bad now? If they decide to include her, we're gonna witness an online riot within the fandom lol.

[dalekaiken]

how did u come up with the initial ideas for ur fics ?? :3

I'll reply with my current multichapter fics bc my oneshots are mostly... Sudden ideas I get, such as Keeping Promises being a fic I wrote in one sitting after finishing Unleashed bc I was inspired. XD (Or I wrote the first draft in one sitting but you know-)

DNA Collision: I absolutely adore when people draw Shadow with more alien-like features, such as giving him yellow scleras, tiny scales, or a third eye! But the fanart made me think... What if there was a reason Shadow looked like that/more alien, especially considering that he didn't originally even know he's half alien. My original idea was that Eggman would do something that would make him mutate, but then I thought it might be a bit of a lazy choice, plus then fixing it would be a lot easier because they'd already know the cause. My bestie came up with the idea that it would happen suddenly while Shadow was racing/using Chaos Control, and I liked that idea. (I can't tell how/why it happens since that's a spoiler, but you'll find out eventually ehehe). I like aliens, sci-fi, and body horror (although I don't wanna make the body horror parts too graphic in the fic but still. It's a part of it), but there's also metaphors etc. in it. I'll probably talk more about those once I finish the fic, because for now I want readers to make their own interpretations and speculations >:3

Prophecy of Chaos: The ship I was super obsessed with before Sonadow was Catradora, and since I tend to like certain types of dynamics, I kinda noticed lots of similarities between them XDD (I mean, they're a snarky hero with a heart of gold and their former enemy with a traumatic backstory) I think I also saw a tumblr post where someone pointed out that the way Boom!Shadow acts is like a bitter ex/former childhood best friend, and that made me think... What would Sonic and Shadow be like if they had been childhood best friends who had a falling out? I think I jokingly told my friends like "what if I made an AU that's kinda like the premise of She-Ra but with Sonadow" but then I actually got invested in it. It just works so well with Sonic characters and Sonic lore, with the whole chosen one thing and friendship being a big theme in both series. My bestie @tillytilli had lots of suggestions for the AU, and then I asked if they'd like to be a co-creator. Plus with two people working on it made it possible for us to make several illustrations for each chapter; usually three art pieces for each chapter, one by me, one by Tilli and one being a collab between us. So yeah, the premise and some elements are inspired by She-Ra, but the plot will differ a lot since we didn't want it to just be a retelling of that story, we wanted to also make it our own story. Plus we haven't really assigned the characters certain roles (except the obvious ones, like Sonic having Adora's role, Shadow Catra's, Infinite Shadow Weaver's, and Eggman Hordak's. But even some of those are a bit mixed, especially between Sonic and Shadow) because we felt like it would limit the characters too much, and we wanted them to be themselves first and foremost if that makes sense? (So like. You don't need any knowledge of She-Ra to read the fic. Sonic knowledge is more important since there's lore and references XD)

Impactful Skip: I came up with the idea around the time the sneak peek of Sonic and Nine in Sonic Prime came out. Since Nine was a traumatized child because he never met Sonic, it made me think... How would Tails turn out if he had had Sonic, and then lost him? Because he would know what he was missing. Sonic and Tails are so close that I feel like neither of them would be the same if they lost each other. I think I was also subconsciously inspired by that one episode of Futurama where Fry has to test the time machine with Bender and the Professor so he's late from his date with Leela, but the time travel goes wrong and Leela thinks he's dead. (This scene especially always BREAKS me) I didn't like... Actively think about that episode while thinking about the premise, but then I remembered it after a while and was like OH. Another inspiration for it was that one tumblr post I can't find sadly but it was like... "Why would you tell a post-apocalyptic story if not to show the kindness of humanity?" And it's a big part of Impactful Skip, because while Tails has turned against all his friends, his friends still stick together and try to find hope and kindness towards one another even in a world with barely any hope left.

Thank you for asking! I'm really enthusiactic about these stories so I'm always happy to explain about them! ✨✨

[themadauthorshatter]

1, 18, 24 for the writer ask meme:

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end.

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

1. I usually try to write in Comic Sans for AO3 stuff, but for assignments and stuff I use Times New Roman. Some fics are in the typical Arial, but I switched them to Comic Sans. I care more because I believe in the Comic Sans trick, but that's the only reason😅

For Tumblr, though, I work with whatever font is there

18. I forget which parts in specific they're in, but the moments in the Toppat!Henry series posts I did, more specifically all scenes of Henry being toxic towards Charles, like holding him close, pinning him down, kissing him, all those scenes. The backstory for all of those was just this idea of Henry, who has decided to embrace being a thief and, by all accounts, a villain, indulging himself without actually indulging, like someone sampling alcohol by dipping their finger in it rather than fully drinking it. I also just wanted to create this sort of "predator" to clash with government "dog" Charles, and by predator, I don't mean it in like, "get this man put behind bars and on a registry," I mean like, something almost apex, unstoppable. You know it's dangerous and need to stay away, but it keeps following you. I was also seeing clips from the new She-Ra and saw a lot of villainous Catra moments that I really liked. The moments stayed consistent throughout. The only thing that really changed was Henry became a lot more obsessive and more lustful(I guess?) towards Charles when I was originally going for, "I just want this to have it."

24. Depends on the story. I have one story that I've been working on since around 2021 and the prep needed for it has been HUGE, with outlining before actually writing, drawing out what characters look like, taking time to think of the lean and fat that's going into the story, ideas I can find that push the story forward, possible reworks, all that jazz. Another story doesn't need an outline because I have a solid idea in my and can just get it down easily. What it all mainly looks like is sitting or laying down, watching YouTube or some TV shows, or even just laying and listening to music. Sometimes it's swinging because that helps get the juices flowing. It's fun to think about stuff and imagine the possibilities, all the same writing is more enjoyable to me because then I'm getting stuff down, and I don't have to be writing the story, I can just write background stuff or ideas for moments and that's a good feeling

[larkreadsop]

//SPOILERS FOR 1083//

1 - The ✨ parallels ✨ between that cover of Doflamingo, Crocodile and the pug..., Oda be like I can excuse mass murders and dictatorship, but I draw the line at animal cruelty.,

2 - I relate to fujitora on a personal level, because if I had the possibility to blew up the whole place over every single inconvenience, damn right I'd use it 😭. Aramaki's gonna reconsider his life choices atp, man's got disrespect and stressed right and left since he had been introduced.

3 - Actually wondering why Oda brought back the whole CP9. Don't get me wrong, I love them and I'm happy they're here, but for a bunch of high treason criminals, they sure got rehabilitated easily. And spandam better run. Even if they got a massive powerup, well..., Lucci was supposed to be their strongest member and all, we saw the result against Luffy post timeskip.

Just a weird feeling that they, and Blueno in peculiar considering his door-door fruit, may have something to do with cobra's faith.

4 - Everyone hates the celestial dragons, but taking advantage of the presence of civilians to block your adversaries in fight isn't cool on the principle. And that's ok, but low-key looks like Akainu's justice lmfao 💀 the whole I don't care what happens or how I reach my ultimate goal, for one the annihilation of criminals, and the other freedom. Furthermore, we waited 25 years for RA to move, and their first big action is a literal war declaration 😭 monkey d. family just has to be extra.

5 - out of topic number 19900, but Vivi confronting Lucci's ass is such a great character development, go girl.

(thanks for copying with my crap ❤️)

nooo, I love hearing what people think of the chapters!

Fujitora's always been pretty big on doing his own thing and not really caring about what anyone tells him so I'm not surprised he thought the best way to deal with the situation was to just call down some meteors but somehow he keeps getting away with it...

I've been waiting since 2015 for an explanation as to how we got from the CP9 cover story to here and now I'm even more curious since they're all involved and I feel like knowing how that happened would make their motivations a lot clearer (though maybe that's why we haven't found out yet...) so I still hope we get some answers to that somewhere along the line!

There's this one screenshot of Sengoku during Marineford saying something like 'Garp! It's your damn family again!' and that's literally what this arc is because Garp, Dragon and Luffy are all wreaking havoc in different ways at different places simultaneously.

Oh you know Lucci hates the fact that he's somehow been given guard duty, especially considering what Vivi's like and that the last thing she's ever going to do is listen to him or follow his orders so he's not having a good time right now!!

[bluemadnessstuff]

You already know what I'm going to do...

MORE JULIAN RANTS RAAAAAAA🔥🔥🔥

1. Jinx from arcane

2. Soap :D cause they match eachothers freak (only he can handle her insane amount of energy)

3. Wutiwant- saraunh0ly

4. No love interests :(

5. Tho she does show a bit of interest in multiple characters, she never tries anything

7. I think she'd either be an elf OR remain human

8. She likes playing cards and to draw, tho she sucks at both. She enjoys watching animal documentary too !

9. She's on the verge of sickness nearly all the time, but can manage just fine. If she gets injured she'll keep denying any help except if it's from a loved one ( price, Ghost or laswell to be more specific)

10. The effect Makarov had on her maturity is still stuck to her so she can't handle new experiences, unexpected changes or intense feelings very well :( , she'd just lock herself in a room for a week or 2

11. Entrapta from she-ra and jinx from arcane (mostly jinx tho)

12. Non yet

13. Philip graves. From the moment she saw him she never trusted him or liked him >:[

14. Graves again

15. Julian did want to retire, get married and start a family but never managed to do so (she died)

16. Her biological parents are alive but she did run away from them (she doesn't plan on reconnecting), but with Makarov? She still loves him even after learning what he truly was.

17. She would be a bit overprotective and paranoid, but would most importantly avoid yelling at all costs

18. She/her but doesn't mind anything else

19. She's pansexual , and likes gift giving and physical affection :D (both taking and giving)

20. She likes throwing knives (she sometimes disects people purely for her own curiosity and love for human biology)

21. They don't really care about us- Michael Jackson ( idk first thing that came to me)

22. Fight, her first instinct when getting jumpscared is a punch to the guts

23. Absolutely (but she won't really wake up if you try to call cause she's a heavy sleeper)

24. Nope :(

25. She'd love to but she's too shy and insecure about her voice

26. Poppys

27. Puppy's, she's loyal sometimes too loyal to the wrong people

28. Idk the closeted gay nerds at school?

29. Lots of fluffy blankets, ice cream and dogs (she prefers cats but she's allergic)

30. " yay! A new friend! :D "

The stupid girl is back in town

@stressedmacaronisalad @aphinthestars

Fuck it, OC brain rot won. Get ready for the Secret Ask List

1) Does your OC have a voice claim, if so who?

2) Who's your OCs best friend? How did they become best friends?

3) What song describes your OC?

4) What song describes your OC and their partner/love interest?

5) Do you ship your OC with a Canon character? If so who?

6) If your OC is in a fantasy setting, what profession would they be in the modern day?

7) Vice-Versa! If your OC is in the modern day, what fantasy class would they be? Would they be a different race?

8) What hobbies does your OC have? What do they do to unwind?

9) How does your OC handle their physical health? Do they take care of themselves?

10) How does your OC handle their mental health? Do they take care of themselves?

11) What was your inspiration for your OC?

12) Does your OC interact with other people's OC? If so, who's their best OC friend?

13) Does your OC have a rival? How did it start?

14) Who's a character your OC cannot stand! It's on sight when they see them!

15) Will your OC ever retire? Do you see them making it?

16) How's their relationship with their parents? Are they alive?

17) If your OC has kids, are they a good parent? Do they ever feel guilty if they have to leave them?

18) What are their pronouns? What would they like to be called?

19) What's their sexuality? What's their love language both giving and receiving?

20) If they fight, what's their weapon of choice?

21) What song best describes their relationship with their enemy?

22) Fight or Flight? Are they a lover or a fighter?

23) Is your OC reliable? Can I call them up at two in the morning if I have a flat tire?

24) Can they play any instruments? If so, what do they play?

25) Are they the kind of person who can't resist a good song? Can I catch your OC singing to themselves while they do the dishes?

26) What flower do you associate your OC with?

27) What's their spirit tamagotchi? Or an animal you associate them with?

28) What clique would they be in? (Draw them in the clothes of said group!)

29) Imagine a mood board for your OC! What's on it? (Make it if you want!)

30) My OC and your OC are friends. This isn't a question. I'm not asking. (How do they respond?)

[tallysgreatestfan]

This amazing post actually putting into words why this aggressive outrage about how dare Laverne Cox play a villain feels so... condescending and even kind of transphobic reminded me of a video essay I really wanted to make, but don't really have the connections too.

Anyone have any idea what I could do in this situation?

Because that's not the first time I saw people absolutely flip out over a minority character being a villain for the sake of being progressive. And I thought it would definitely be worth exploring why this sentiment seems so much more prevalent now than ever and what it means to deny minorities complexity like that.

I saw that in many fandoms, but the only other fandom I feel knowledgeable enough to actually deep dive is the She-Ra fandom with Entrapta.

And I share the same marginalisation as Entrapta is judged on and reduced to; I am autistic. Entrapta also is a WOC, but thanks to the drawing style making it hard to tell what exactly her ethnicity is, her being clearly not human with purple hair and pink eyes and most of all the story taking place completely unconnected to Earth and its culture, I think this doesn't factor in enough to make me talking about her missing nuance.

But for Dr. Cable I just don't feel qualified to understand the full scope of it as a white and cis woman (or at least not a trans woman). Which means I would want to collaborate with one or several fans who are black and/or trans women or transfem. Doesn't matter if them sending me audio to use, us talking to each other over recorded voice chat, or even just they writing something down I read out.

Here is where the problem starts.

I know Latinos in the fandom, and I know Mestiza. I don't know any black fans. Which isn't the same experience, obviously, but the kind of dehumanization is just similar enough that they probably still have more insight into it than I as a white person. (If they would actually even do all this work for someone elses video, that's it).

But all trans people in the fandom I know are transmasc. And the way they are discriminated against is just so vastly different from how trans women are discriminated, it doesn't really feel like a good enough cover to ask them about it?

But also me talking about identities I am not part of is even worse a solution. But also just putting a "help needed for X" post in some tags doesn't feel like a good solution either, because I definitely want to already know that person I collaborate with, not knowing feels way to risky.

[parksrway]

How did you learn to draw characters? I know everyone always says "just keep practising and you'll get it" but 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 did you start practicing first? I've tried learning before but I've always been confused about whether I should learn to draw hands first, or body first or face first. You don't have to answer if you don't want to I just really like your art style and figured you'd be a good person to ask akshsbdgh

honestly if you want to start drawing characters then I'd just say start drawing characters that you like. if it's a character from a show or game you like or an oc, just start drawing them. there is no "right" place to start and learning as you go is really what I did.

when I was in 7th-8th grade, I REALLY liked Undertale. that was when I really started wanting to improve, all because I saw some neat Undertale fan art and I was like "wow. I want to do that." Ive been drawing pretty much ever since I could hold a pencil but that was when I started improving. because I liked Undertale. I feel like I improve the most when I have something I'm passionate enough about to draw. there was Undertale, I used to draw a lot of YouTuber fan art, v*ltron (which we don't talk about), my own ocs, she ra, and now loz and. sheik.

starting somewhere, like learning anatomy or something, isn't as realistic as people seem to think it is. practicing that stuff, especially when you're just starting out can be very boring. when you're new and can't seem to get it right, it's very demotivating. in my opinion, you should start with something that really sparks your passion, like making up an oc, or drawing fan art or something, so that way when you do start practicing the "boring" stuff, you don't lose the motivation and drive. learn as you go!! you don't have to be perfect, especially not if you're just starting out. don't be hard on yourself for not knowing everything. just draw for yourself and to make yourself happy, that's when I feel like I improve the most.

for example.

this is the first sheik drawing I ever posted. this was posted on January 19th of last year.

this was posted November 14th of last year.

I improved almost entirely because I like drawing sheik and I like drawing sheik and link together. I improved because drawing them makes me happy.

there's no one correct path for you to take to improve drawing characters because it's different for everyone and I'm tired of the idea that you have to learn anatomy and stuff before you're allowed to have an art style because yeah. I've seen people actually say stuff like that. the art community can be fucking ridiculous. learn anatomy when you're ready. hell, never learn anatomy if you don't want to and just want to draw in an overly cartoony style because it's not actually required of you, despite what the art community might say. nothing is required of you. draw whatever the hell you want however the hell you want to.

[whitebookposts]

So I saw a post about you being Hebrew and have some thoughts on the Elders' names. Would you like to share them?

hoo boy this been sitting in my ask box for quit a while, huh? So sorry for answering only now, I didn't ignore you i swear, I just forgot :"D But here is the thoughts! alright first of all, I'd like to say that I am no Hebrew professor or letter studier, so most of these analyses are made from my own basic knowledge and observations let's start off with our favourite bird grandpa - Daleth! Isle of Dawn elder - Daleth: as I said, daleth is the name of the Hebrew letter, but it's quite often that the names of Hebrew letters are also words in Hebrew itself this way, the name daleth (which is pronounced daleT) is also the word for "door" in Hebrew (ד - דלת - da(e)let) I think it fits Daleth as a character because from his isle we access the other realms, so he is like a door to the kingdom. Daylight Prairie elder - Ayin: the second one - Ayin. ayin, being the name of the letter, is also a word for "eye" in Hebrew (ע - עין - ayin). It fits because it's from Ayin's realm where you see the eye of Eden for the first time - your eyes are opened for the first time to your destination. And if you look closely, you can see the elder's temple from the main track (the track you go through before you unlock the spirit gates) no matter where you are. The prairie is filled with light and nothing can hide from your view in the shadows, and the whole realm is filled with beautiful scenery and nature, making the realm a candy to the eye. Hidden Forest elder - Teth: the third one - Teth. teth (which is actually pronounced teT) is the word for "clay" in Hebrew (ט - טיט - teth). It fits her because her realm is full of water and the ground is very soggy, so it probably means that there is clay there. And their temple looks as if build from clay. Valley of Triumph elder - Samekh: now to my reasons for my bisexuality and the elders I sim for the most - Samekh! samekh (which pronounced samehh) is the word for trust or, alternatively, NEAR (ס - סמך - samekh). It fits them because being athletes, they must trust each other and their skills to not fall and break a bone if they train together. the other meaning also fits because they are always near each other, as they share one realm and stuck together. Also, the letter samekh is a circle and is nicknamed "acrobat letter" because no matter how you write it it's always right, so technically you could write it upside down and nobody would notice. And it fits with how the twins are very acrobatic and due to their similar appearance, can be mistaken for each other if not the hair. Golden Wasteland elder - Tsadi: Tsadi! tsadi is actually pronounced as tsadiK (צ - צדיק - tsadik), and it's the word for righteous or straight up INNOCENT. which is very funky, I will let you brainrot about this yourself, because that is some big plot base and speculations 👀👀👀 Vault of Knowledge - Lamed: lamed! as already mentioned by a lot of folks here on Skyblr, it has to do something with studying! because lamed is actually the word for "study!" (ל - למד - lamed) (and the Exclamation point is not simply there - because lamed is the command form of the word as if commanding someone to read) which fits lamed because she owns a huge freaking library and is shown in the concepts to teach others and sky kids about their purpose Eden elder\The king - Alef\Resh: now, for the big evil king guy. Love them or hate them - they are still a big part of lore that our dear lore enthusiasts drool over Alef is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and is considered to be the sign of luck and good life - there is a whole tradition in Israel, where if a child is born wrapped with its umbilical cord wrapped around them, to draw a little "alef" symbol with a safe, easy to wash off marker on its belly after the umbilical cord is cut off to protect the child from misfortunes in their life because the umbilical cord wrapped around a newborn is considered a bad omen, almost as if the snake that seduced Eve into eating the forbidden fruit wrapped itself around the child. So Alef is considered a good and protecting letter, and it's

also the word for champion, excellence... but also a word for taming a wild beast (א - אלף - alef). Resh, however, has a similar meaning to Alef, but at the same time is the complete opposite. Resh is the letter to symbolize championship and excellence... but in a bad way. like if you win a battle by cheating, or you are excellent in bad stuff. it translates as "head" or leader (ר - ראש - re(o)sh) - showing that this letter represents smart mind and leadership, but also danger - that the person with such name is a good leader, but might not be a good person. a person who uses their mind and skills to do bad stuff. and Resh is also the first letter in the word "Ra" which translates as "evil". and this concludes my Hebrew talk for now! Hope someone will find it useful! As I said, I am no big professor myself, I simply examined the names not from their historical origins, but like... the more simple and known meanings, so take my analysis with a bit of salt

[anghraine]

It's fine to be influenced by how characters are framed and prefer narratives which suit your preferences. But I wish people were better at drawing a line between "suits my preferences", "inherently good writing", and "inherently morally superior character".

I strongly agree (and the argument the Twitter OP makes is one I find intensely annoying and simplistic tbh). Not every redemption arc has to be Zuko's all over again. Not every redemption arc has to even resemble Zuko's in its structure or goals.

For me, the most obvious character to contrast him with is Catra from the new She-Ra. One of the things I really admired about Catra's arc is that it doesn't completely take the Zuko path.

Zuko, whatever his flaws, is one of the most sympathetic Fire Nation characters in the show, contrasted with much worse people he's linked to or contrasted against, and clearly marked as hero material from early on in ways that make him easy to like. But Catra, for much of her arc, is a more difficult personality. She's surrounded by Team Villain characters who are considerably nicer and arguably better-intentioned than she is (e.g. Scorpia, Entrapta, even Kyle and Rogelio and Lonnie).

Certainly her redemption isn't unexpected, and the narrative does work to build sympathy for her in other ways (see: Shadow Weaver). But once Shadow Weaver leaves the Horde early in the show (to spend the rest of the series cooperating with the heroes), Catra is frequently the most toxic Horde figure around apart from Hordak himself.

And when she turns on the Horde, she suffers for it, but (at least to me) this is less about the narrative punishing her than the mark of what she was willing to risk to do the right thing. The narrative isn't interested in punishing former villains or making them grovel or jump through whatever hoops to earn acceptance or whatnot. That's not better than Zuko's, it's just something I, personally, prefer as a narrative choice.

To pick another obvious example, there's Anakin Skywalker in ROTJ, whose redeemability is tied to his actions/inactions and motives in ESB, but is much less clearly identifiable in ANH/ESB as signs of his future redemption. (And I think the argument that he wasn't really redeemed is very silly.) A lot of the power of his redemption comes from just how terrifyingly evil he seemed to be in the early parts of the trilogy (this is one of the reasons he himself saw redemption as impossible). He's not built up as a heroic figure early on and whatever the flaws in the arc, that makes it all the more affecting and compelling for me when he does turn.

And that's personal preference again! I do like Zuko's arc a lot, too. But I don't like it as the one true structure for all redemption arcs ever and I don't like the flattening of "good writing" into "conforms to my personal narrative preferences."

When Zuko apologized to uncle Iroh in the tent cause he was so ashamed of his actions and what he’d done to the only person who unconditionally believed in his ability to do good >>>>>

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Riverdale Season 6 Trailer Reaction and Theories.

So just saw the new season 6 trailer and I have some thoughts on it, obviously spoilers but also some spoilers for CAOS too as I am going to be mentioning some theories based on that show.

First off this looks really good and I am actually sort of hyped for season 6 now, but I literally have no idea what the hell is going on, what we do know though is its not an AU as RAS recently confirmed it wasn’t which makes it all the more interesting to me.

It looks like they are going full supernatural with all the voodoo dolls and rituals that appear to be going on. There’s also a shot of Cheryl, Toni, Betty and Nana Rose trying to summon spirits, who knows why, but there are also a couple of shots of what look like supernatural creatures. For example this creepy black widow looking figure: 

My guesses for who she might be is maybe the spirit of Abigail blossom herself? Or maybe Lilith, she did appear as a young teenage in the first episode of CAOS? Or just a random vengeful spirit of a character we haven’t meet yet. I mean there is also this creepy dude who has a similar aesthetic: 

My best theory is an obvious one, but I reckon that séance scene results in them accidently releasing various spirits or demons into Riverdale who wreck havoc.  

Sticking with the supernatural Veronica tells Reggie that a man is claiming to be the devil, So it looks like maybe lucifer is making an appearance in Riverdale. I do wonder if he will offer Veggie a deal to help them become rich through their business? There is a shot of them getting frisky on a bed of money but then later Veronica is shown throwing something at Reggie, so maybe he makes a deal with the devil and Veronica finds out. I could see the devil just walking around Riverdale offering the residents deals. 

There is this shot of an elaborate box opening:

 This actually reminds of the Acheron configuration from the first season of CAOS so my theory with this one is that after they accidently release the spirits or demons, whatever they are they then try to capture them in this box.  

Ok so being a barchie shipper naturally I was really excited about all the barchie content in this trailer but I will admit that ‘I want to have your baby’ line had me cackling just because of all the theories that were going around during season 5 about betty being pregnant and now it might actually happen?? To be honest I think I’d be ok with it depending on how it is written and how they go about it. A lil barchie baby would be adorable. However there is this shot where barchie have decided to use the dinner table for something other than eating dinner:

 At first I thought it was a voodoo doll next to her (in the orange circle) but then I brightened the image and there are actually several other objects around her and the ‘voodoo doll’ to me actually looks more like it could be a mandrake root. For those who might not know mandrake root is traditionally used for fertility purposes, so maybe barchie want a baby but aren’t having much luck conceiving so decides to do a ritual to help the process along. There are five objects on the table which is interesting because there are actually five elements, Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Spirit. I think the mandrake root as well as representing fertility also represents earth. In the blue circle just behind betty’s shoulder is what looks like a bowl which I suspect contains water. Water like the mandrake root also represents fertility. Then in the red circle you have the candles representing fire, again fire is symbolic of rebirth but also of passion and love which fits this setting. Then in the light green circle there is a bottle, I suspect its an empty bottle and they are using this to represent air because technically the bottle wouldn’t be empty it is filled with air. Air is symbolic of the breath of life so again also kind of ties into fertility and procreation. Then lastly there is the crown that looks kind of spiky, so maybe this represents spirit and is drawing imagery from the crown of thorns and the holy spirit. I am very curious to know what exactly is going on here, but I am 80% positive that its some kind of fertility ritual.  

It looks like Jabitha are going to be going on some kind of investigation which includes smashing down walls which I’m down for. I do wonder what it is exactly they are investigating. 

It also looks like betty is going to stab... something? There’s a shot with her holding a knife and blood splattered on her face. I mean this could be more dark betty stuff and her finally snapping but to be honest I actually don’t think it will be, I think it is more likely that there will be an episode where all the characters get trapped in a dream or something and this is like her nightmare that she has to face. Or maybe she is just having a nightmare, or killing a supernatural being or making a sacrifice something like that. I mean they like to keep teasing dark betty but they never commit to it so I don’t see them going there in season 6 either. But who knows maybe I’ll be proved wrong. 

There is shot of Cheryl in that crown and red dress from the first season 6 sneak peek where she appears to be sacrificing someone and Archie runs over and begs her not to hurt her which makes me think its Betty on the sacrificial slab so to speak. In regards to Cheryl I am still sticking with my original theory which is that she is actually possessed by the spirit of Abigail and Abigail is the one in control. 

Nana Rose might be in trouble as it looks like she is sick or dying, there is a shot of her lying in bed with Cheryl and I think Sabrina sitting with her, but it also looks like Sabrina and Cheryl are doing some kind of spell, maybe to save Nana Rose’s life?   

Speaking of Sabrina the closing shot of the trailer is of her and Cheryl. This is again why I think it might actually be Abigail’s spirit in Cheryl’s body because Sabrina and Cheryl seem to be familiar with each other. I don’t know what the timeline is between the two shows but as far as I know these characters have never spoken before there’s also that little problem of Sabrina being dead, so I am guessing that Abigail/Cheryl summoned Sabrina’s spirit or resurrected Sabrina somehow and that’s how they know each other, like they met in the afterlife or something, because although she doesn’t look like Abigail she still recognises her spirit/soul.  

Ok that’s all I’ve got for now, what did everyone else think of the trailer?